Critical Error
by Blue Winged Angel
Summary: KAIREI Stuck in a virtual game that tests the limits of one's emotional, physical, and mental state, for how long will Rei be able to hide his worsening depression and home life from his friends and future lover? selfharm, yaoi
1. Holding Your Head High Isn't Easy

Disclaimer: (for all the fic) I am just borrowing these poor characters for my own amusement and very interesting purposes... cackle

Blue: YES! Back from the dead is meeee! After over a year of not writing, I have returned! Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen...aaanyways, this is not a fic I had originally intended to write, but more or less one that just popped into my mind that I liked the idea of. I hope you all enjoy...and I felt I needed to write this. You will all see why later in the future.

Dedications: This chapter goes out to my buddy Rae TB who has been there for me so much and inspired me to make this fic.

Betae'd by: LP...who is probably still twitching from all of the spelling and grammar errors. Sorry! ;

ON WITH THE FIC!

When you are with me, I'm free  
I'm careless, I believe  
Above all the others we'll fly  
This brings tears to my eyes  
My sacrifice

My Sacrafice, Creed

"Alright…one last stanza I think." A pen scratched across the page, flying as it went.

Does anyone know where it started?

Does anyone know where it ends?

This idea that our world's become heartless,

This impression that scars never mend.

"Now…what to call it?" the writer mused to himself, tapping the pen to his chin thoughtfully, putting words together in his mind. A grin spread across his face and he nodded in approval. "That's the one…"

Bringing the pen down to the page, he wrote- "Good Is The New Bad" by Rei Kon.

Rei's golden eyes glanced over his work proudly for a moment before giving it one more nod of approval and tucking it away in his pocket. A faint shout of "Hurry up, Rei!" came from downstairs. He sighed and moved off of his bed, stretching with hints of cat-like grace about his body. He winced slightly at the golden sun, shimmering through his window glass like a dazzling jewelled ray as it snuck into his room and reflected in his eyes.

He'd always been a poet for as long as he could remember, but he rarely wrote. Usually just simple limericks and quotable metaphors when he couldn't sleep late at night. They used to be funny, hopeful, innocent to the point of naïve, however in the last year or so they'd gone from "finding the light in the dark" and spiralled downwards.

He was buttoning up his Beyblade uniform when he caught sight of his bare arms, causing him to shiver and glance around quickly for the bandages he traditionally wrapped his forearms with.

Finding them, Rei let out a breath of relief and snatched them up before sitting on the bed, taking one last look at his left arm before beginning to wrap it up.

As stated before - the last year wasn't as easy as his friends had perceived. And he was not as strong as they had hoped…

He'd cut his own flesh countless times. Countless times for punishment when he believed it to be all his fault, countless times for relief when the stress and the pressure seemed too great to bear, and even more countless times when it was all a blur and he didn't even know he had been doing it.

Yeah, he knew he was a coward. His parents and even good friends had told him many times that it was so. But still, he felt relief when he did it…

He'd been trying to stop lately, but it just didn't seem to work. When he'd be at his lowest and he knew it, he would excuse himself from the group, go off and let the pain seep away before going back to his friends who, happy that he was happy and joking again, didn't seem to take another second to think about it.

Rei was sure he knew what he was doing. Or, at least he thought he was sure. At least he was 95 sure. The other five percent was where his friends and parents had drilled into him the consequences of his actions.

But what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, now would it?

"REI! You're going to be late! Let's move!" Rei jumped a bit at the suddenness of his father's shout and quickly finished wrapping his arms. He looked himself over in the skinny full-length mirror on the wall opposite to him. Without a second thought, he glared at the teenage boy reflected back at him.

'I hate you…' he thought, and turning away he rushed to the door and left the room without a single glance back, his long ponytail flicking out behind him.

His father met him at the stairs, his leather jacket over his shoulder and he motioned impatiently for Rei to hurry and get out the door. "Hello, offspring.," he teased, "You're going to be late!"

Rolling his eyes, Rei nodded and slipped on the sports coat the BBA had provided him with. He was damn proud of that jacket. His name and everything were embroidered in bright lettering with the words "World Champ" just under it. He had to smile as he looked at the words fondly before racing out the door after his father, who was already revving up the car and…

PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY?

"DAD!" Rei shouted, darting after the car as it started to pull away. It stopped and Rei could see his father grinning in the driver's seat.

At least his dad had the smarts of laughing at him AFTER he had his seat belt on and the car was moving. Otherwise Rei would have had to make himself an orphan.

"See you later, kiddo! And good luck!"

Rei waved goodbye to his father as he drove away before turning to the tall BBA building and taking a very deep breath. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and gracefully strode into the white building.

"REI!" was the chorused greeting. Rei's two best friends, Tyson and Max, ran up to him and wrapped the older boy in a bear hug. Laughing, Rei patted them both on the head and stole Tyson's hat, (Tyson: HEY! T-T) slipping it onto his own head and walking towards Mr. Dickenson on the other side of the lobby.

It was Mister Dickenson who had called him and the others to the BBA this morning. Why? Well, he wasn't completely sure, but at least he wasn't going to be completely surprised. The big man had mentioned something about a video game endorsement that they were going to try out. Nothing too special… the Bladebreakers, or G-Revolution as they had come to be known nowadays, had been doing a lot of stuff like this. Logos and sports wear was only a small portion of it.

As Tyson had so lightly put it one day during a photo shoot, they were "More popular than pizza."

(Blue: Which is very, very popular, for all of those slow people out there…not naming any names… cough LP

LP: bite me… nothing could be more popular than pizza. Mmm… pizza….drools)

"Ah Rei!" Mr. Dickenson nodded to him in greeting (In the background - Tyson: REEI! Gimme back my hat, dagnabbit! I've got hat hair!) before motioning for him to sit on the couch opposite to him.

"Hey Mister D." Rei replied, moving to take the offered seat…but hesitated as he saw who he would be sharing the couch with.

The one guy who he had hoped was going to skip out on this new endorsement… why Rei had raised his hopes about that was beyond him. After all, he, this guy, and Tyson were the most popular guys around. Heck, even Maxie had a fanclub! But Kai ruled it all…he and Rei were tied, actually.

Yep. It was Kai sitting on the couch (Blue: once again, for slow readers.) and wouldn't even look at him or pretend he noticed the Chinese blader's entrance.

'Bastard,' he thought, a growl threatening to spill from Rei's lips, but he held back. Smiling at Mister Dickenson, he took a seat on the leather armchair next to it. "So, what's going on today, Mr. D?"

If the old man noticed the tension between the two, he took no notice, but instead continued to cheerfully chat, fiddling with his bowler hat as he so normally did.

"Well, Rei, all I know are the basics. The people behind this entire parade have not shown up just yet, but I assume they will be here shortly."

"What are the basics, Mr. D?" Rei heard Max's voice from behind him and tilted his head to the side just as Tyson's hand shot out to grab his hat back, missing by a little less than a mile.

Mister Dickenson chuckled as Tyson pouted rather like a four year old who just had his favourite toy taken away and sat on the arm of the chair next to Rei. Max took the other arm.

Rei looked over to Kai and smirked as he noticed the older blader looking at him with disdain, but quickly turned away, preferring to look at the fake potted plant next to him. 'Yeah, that's right… look at something about as interesting as yourself, Ice Man,' he thought sarcastically.

"The basics are, Tyson," Mister Dickenson spoke, and Rei turned his full attention to the man, a victorious smirk plastered on his face, "that you boys will be the first to play a one-of-a-kind game. All that I know other than that are that it is a very difficult game that will test your foundation as a team, as the game itself is based around team-work and the bond you boys share. As well, it will help you become more in-sync with your bit-beasts."

The group was quiet before Tyson spoke, rather too cheerfully, "Teamwork, bonds, friendship, and bit-beasts…" Rei felt a sudden breeze on his head and his jaw dropped in mock aghast as Tyson slipped on his hat once more, "sounds almost too easy! We've got this one in the bag… nothing beats our team, right guys?"

Max agreed, with Rei cheering after a split-seconds hesitation after a glance at Kai. The captain himself just 'Hn'd' his response.

Mister Dickenson looked at Kai quizzically, when Tyson leaned over and said in a rather loud whisper "Mostly, we think that means either 'yes,' 'no,' 'maybe,' and 'I traded my blading skills for a chicken.' In this case, I believe it translates into the first of that list…"

"Tyson's the leading expert in Kai-ology!" Max chirped.

Rei chuckled as Kai sent a piercing glare their way. "Well then, mister 'Expert,' what's the translation for 'if you don't shut up, I'm going to knock you into the next millennium?'" Kai stood, holding up a fist threateningly.

Tyson didn't seem fazed at all and actually thought that over for a moment before responding.

"That means 'RUN!'"

Tyson and Max grinned before turning to run… and slammed right into two figures and to the floor who had been standing behind them.

Kai smirked and strode purposefully to the figures looming over his team mates. "Ah, Tala. It's been too long." He held out his hand and caught eyes with Tala's, who took it and they shook quickly.

"It has been… and I believe we've wasted enough time on idle chit-chat. This experiment waits for no one."

Tyson and Max (who had been helped up, not by choice mind you, by Spencer from the back of their shirts) looked to one another, then back to Tala and Bryan. (yes, the other ice-man was there too.) "You guys are running this?" they exclaimed, pretty much in unison.

"With me, guys," a voice squeaked, and Kenny came out from behind the two former Demolition Boys.

The sigh of relief was evident in every single G-Rev member there.

Rolling his eyes, Tala grabbed Kai's wrist and proceeded to drag Kai to the elevators, whilst Spencer carried Tyson and Max. Bryan didn't even move to go get Rei… he was already up on his own. And anyways, though they had come to the agreement that Bryan had not intended on hurting Rei in his first year of professional beyblading, the two were still not on wonderful terms… so, sidling past Bryan with Mr. D, they left him to bring up the rear.

"Mr. Dickenson told you about the game, right?" Tala asked as they were heading up in the elevator and didn't even wait for an answer. "Good. Well here's an even better description - you are going to be playing a one-of-a-kind virtual game. The point is, of course, to save the world. Are you all with me so far? Excellent."

Rei rolled his eyes. Arrogant prat…just like Kai. They must have been related or separated at birth…

The redhead continued as the bell dinged for the top floor. "You will battle with given weapons that the character you choose to be is assigned. And this is where your bit-beasts come in. When you have reached a certain level of power, you can summon their powers, and perhaps even call them into being where they will form right there in the game beside you.

They had stepped off the elevator and into a dark laboratory with large super-computers littering its floor, and at the far end were what looked to be four pods attached together, then the cords leading up to one of the largest screens the Bladebreakers had ever seen.

Tala spun about and looked at them all very seriously… walking backward through the lab. The scientists themselves didn't stop working at all, but continued to move about doing their duties.

"I warn you now- this world is not real. It will definitely seem that way, but it is not. Keep that in mind as you go along through the game. Do not become attached to any characters, and even when you think you feel pain, it's not real.

"There is no way to be injured in reality. The safety devices were programmed by only the most brilliant of minds in all of beyblade and gaming technology."

Tala's expression became more serious than ever (if that was possible… you can't really tell with the guy) as they stopped at the pods, the screen above them fading into a mass of swirling blues and purples.

"One more thing before you go… this game will test your emotion, your soul, and your physical state beyond your wildest imagination. The reason you four are going in rather than the greatest pilots and astronauts on the face of the Earth who have had those three grounds tested this way already is because of your bond and your ability to overcome anything… however, I am under strict code when I ask this.

"If you are not in peak emotional, physical, or mental health, please say so now. If not, pray that your guardian angel can keep up with this game, because you are going to need all the help you can get."

Rei kept the stoic expression on his face almost too easily… but inside, he had doubts. Yeah, these guys knew the real basics of his home life - that his parents were getting a divorce. But did they really know the magnitude of it? Or what was happening that came with it? No…

But as the others just scoffed Tala, Tyson telling him that even if there was something wrong with one of them, they were a team and that they could pull through it, Rei didn't have the heart to say a word.

He'd be letting them down… they were all strong, and Rei was one of the strongest. So they thought…he wasn't about to ruin their perceptions of him now.

Rolling his eyes, Rei added to the other's arguments "Come on Tala… there's a reason we're on every cereal box in the world, and we have our own clothing line… I think we can handle a little arcade game, don't you?"

Tala smirked. "Hey, as I said, policy… heck, even I have faith in you guys." Turning to Spencer who dropped Tyson and Max on their rears, he nodded to the others on his team and motioned to the pods. "Alright guys… get ready for the ride of your lives."

Blue: And that is the first chappie of hopefully very few to this new story of mine! As you can see, it will touch on not only Yaoi, but depression, family problems, and self-mutilation. If you don't like it, then please stop reading now.

RnR! Reviews make me happy...and if I get lots, then I'll update fast! nod nod nod


	2. Swimming In Memories

Blue: OK! I haven't been on here in forever, and so this is going to be a little strange for me…because I don't know how to break up the timeline. So therefore I apologize if chapter one is a little harder to read…but I will get it!

NOTE: the beginning of the story and the author's note will be separated by a song lyric that has something to do with the story…ok? Ok.

Dedication: This one goes out to Peppermint-Angel, who is really being an Angel by reading this thing though she highly dislikes Kai/Rei! YOU GO GIRL! Thank you for everything.

And a special shoutout to Irridecent Goddess for her wonderful e-mail that just made my week! Thanks girl!

_When your world breaks down and the voices tell you turn around. _

_When your dreams give out _

_I will carry you, carry you.  
When the stars go blind and the darkness starts to flood your eyes. _

_When you're falling behind, _

_I will carry you._

_Clay Aiken, I Will Carry You_

CHAPTER 2

Turning to Spencer who dropped Tyson and Max on their rears, Tala motioned to the pods. "Alright guys… get ready for the ride of your lives."

The egg-shaped pods were very well manufactured (from what Rei could tell initially). The seats were leather and quite comfortable, and the inside of the pods themselves were…well…what you would expect to see on a ride in an amusement park. Very white and empty with no particular designs or decoration on the inside, with plenty of leg-room and a couple of bars on the left and right for one to grip during the game.

"This is going to be so cool!" Rei heard Tyson exclaim from the pod beside him as he jumped in. Rei copied him and jumped in as well, nearly purring at how comfortable the seats were.

When all four Bladebreakers were safely tucked inside, with there seatbelts fastened (Blue: Safety first, kiddies! Buckle up! And don't drink and drive!) Tala gave a thumbs up to the scientist.

With a harsh jerk, the pods lurched forward, causing Rei to lose his breath for a moment before it jerked backwards and finally lifted up off of the ground, hovering about a foot above the ground. A very airy sound made the neko-jin's eyes glance up to the top of the pod…a tinted window came down to block Rei's view of the real world and to encase him inside entirely. It shut quickly and a mechanical locking noise sounded in Rei's ears. He winced.

'No turning back now.' he thought to himself.

The cover lit up in front of him, speckled of white and black dancing all about before it faded into the colors of purple and blue, mixing and dancing together around a circular vortex. Just like what the screen they had seen earlier looked like…except without a vortex in the middle.

"Please hold still as we conduct your character scan." A monotonous voice said through invisible speakers…

"Cool." Rei muttered, reaching up to touch the screen out of curiosity when a green light shone out of the middle moved to his head…fanned out…then scanned him down and up. "Hahaha…this is great!"

In the screen, four figures appeared. "Please select your character." Said the voice. But before Rei could reach out and pick what looked to be a knight-like figure, another figure blinked and they disappeared. "Character selected. Welcome to Critical Error."

The poor, confused boy didn't have a chance to say or think anything as, in front of him and from the vortex, a screen slowly moved out of it…and hovered in front of his face. Looking around, Rei wondered where the holographic projectors were when images began to move.

It was, what looked to be a medival joust…two men rode horses, attacking one another with a lance and trying to knock one another off of their horse.

Rei was nearly beaming. "Aww man, this is great!"

Words appeared on the screen like movie credits in bright yellow;

"Once upon a time, long before today's race of Man had even dreamed of being born, the world was a different place. Time moved slowly; the inhabitants of the lands were happy. The world was not as it was today, but much smaller. Ravaging oceans separated lands and only messengers of great power told each race of the others that lived in the far-off world.

Man was different then. Wars were not fought, because the simplistic mind of humans were unable to comprehend that they should fight for more than what they had. Man felt he had enough then. He saw no need to conquer all. There was rule, of course, but little need for it. There was government, but much of it was used to settle small disputes that usually ended up with sharing. It was a peaceful society, filled with trust and decency, void of violence, and Man wouldn't change it.

Woman were different. While most worked as hard as men, there were some that wanted more than what was shown. Their numbers were small at first, but gained in popularity as the dark witch Ursula traveled from land to land, spreading her prophecy amidst lies of power and false promises of hope.

Before many knew what was going on, all was lost. The poor communication between the people caused their downfall as Ursula took over lands unnoticed. A witch or wizard is only as strong as their following, and by the time the other wizards knew what was happening, Ursula's following was so large almost all hope was lost. Her following was made up of women, of the strongest and the smartest, and those females who resisted were killed almost instantaneously.

She took over all. She forced Men to be her slaves, and all other species of elves and dwarves and whatnot were put under strict limitations. Blood was shed, something the inhabitants of Earth had never seen before. There was havoc everywhere. No one knew what to do. And Ursula crowned herself the queen of all.

But Ursula made one critical error. You see, she wasn't perfect. The entire society was trusting and while she made effort to take over all, she was not suspicious enough to make sure her follower's had complete loyalty to her and her alone. Ursula trusted that her followers were her own, and the other wizards and witches saw this and began to rally her followers as spies.

Ursula began suspecting something only when a shadow of a rumor came to her by those who were still completely loyal. But it was too late. Ursula was overthrown in a matter of days after having for so long what she had taken. However, the world had changed. Man had seen power and he had seen betrayal. He had destroyed almost all intelligent life forms but his own. There was no turning back.

And though Ursula was overthrown, she was not gone. She bided her time carefully, until the world was old and everything had moved. The waters had calmed, had shrank, and the lands were closer. She waited and watched, and finally had her perfect revenge.

There was a king and his wife who had a single beautiful daughter who would inherit the king's throne. Now, remember that the world had changed by now and Man's mind had become more complex. Plans were more devious, for to try to trick even the smartest of the race. But Ursula's mind was still simple, and she knew she could use this to her advantage.

She took the daughter and locked her away, casting a spell to preserve her in case of need. Ursula did not particularly like killing, and refrained from killing the daughter because she knew she would have to get rid of the king first. She changed her body to look exactly like the king's daughter, and soon found herself infiltrating the kingdom's deepest secrets.

Wizards are a lot like humans in that their minds grow and expand with time. Notmerlin was not an exception to this rule. He was the good wizard of the present day's world and he knew immediately that things were awry in the kingdom. However, wizards were feared and to save the kingdom and remain undetected by both Ursula and the society in general, he needed help.

The question is, can you provide the help he needs?"

As the transmission seemed to fade out, Rei was lurched forward…and wasn't stopped by the safety restraints! With a cry of surprise, Rei fell through the vortex of purple and blue.

There was no sound but the gentle rush of wind passing Rei as he fell. Dots of light all around, whilst ahead was simply plain black, and on either side the colors…he had to admit it was breathtaking.

"REI!" Blinking, golden eyes darted over to see Tyson coming to fall beside him, on his other side Max then Kai.

Rei winked at the world champ and shouted "This is so cool!"

"YEAH!" Was the response from all but one stoic blader…but even Kai seemed to be impressed no matter how hard he was trying not to show it.

After that, they fell for only another few short seconds before what looked like a giant web of green lines criss-crossing back and fourth blocked their path…with a yelp, Rei felt himself being slowed down as he approached the webbing…but not slow enough. He was still moving…

Holding out his hand to stop himself, his jaw nearly dropped when his hand passed right on through, the webbing moving to cover him as he went. He closed his eyes as the rest of his body passed through…then felt a bit of an electric surge around himself. Opening his eyes, he blinked…but didn't dare look down to see what happened. Ahead of him was a projection ten times bigger than the one back in the pod….

They could smell the horses and hear the cheers this time…they could even smell the dirt and the damp, murky air…

On the other hand, the horse hooves running toward them didn't seem to be a good thing.

Rei blinked only once and suddenly found himself lying on soft, dusty Earth. Coughing, he sat up and looked about…only to see a black horse running full tilt towards him, a knight sitting comfortably on it's back with a lance in hand. With a quick look behind him, Rei knew that on the other side was another knight…

He didn't have any more time to look anywhere as a pair of powerful arms wrapped around his waist and he felt himself being pulled from the oncoming path of destruction and rolled out to safety. "Idiot." Was the word whispered in his ear and Rei twitched, turning around and meaning to push the arrogant ass away when his hands hit what seemed to be armour…

Only taking a second to realize that Kai was in a costume, he continued pushing the other boy…causing him to fall backwards into what looked to be a nice little gift from one of the horses…

"Oh, Kai, why did you sit down in horse poop?" Max's shaken voice floated over to them and Rei grinned as Kai fumed, giving him a rather rude gesture as a response.

Both Max and Tyson were in rather fitting getups for the two of them – Max seemed to be some sort of a mage, a dazzling dark brown cloak sitting comfortably about his shoulders, as well as a tunic and baggy pants covering the rest of him. Rei hated to admit it, but he looked good!

Tyson's outfit…and HIM… were jaw-dropping, to say the very least. It seemed that he was almost a pirate character…loose ruffled tunic, long coat, high boots up to his knees that his pants tucked into, a sabre at his side…it suited him!

With a start, Rei remembered that Kai was behind him as the boy pushed himself to his feet, dusting himself off. Kai was the knight in shining armour…or that's what he was supposed to be, the neko assumed. He wasn't wearing the clunky, shining armour of course, but the expensive looking black tunic and pants laced with gold, as well as the huge sword he carried at his side was enough to give it away. Rei pouted at how good Kai looked. 'Damn…can't make fun of him for that…'

"I didn't sit down in the stuff, Max," Kai spoke, words coming out evenly and forcibly nice, "Someone pushed me into it. And that someone will most definitely pay for it later…"

Rei whistled innocently in response.

When Kai twitched, he laughed and winked at Tyson and Max. "You two look good."

It was as soon as he said that, that Rei realized that they just nodded…then immediately took a second look at him. "What? I don't look too dorky do I?" he asked, then for the first time looked down at himself….

And nearly screamed.

Rei couldn't, however, as the four blanched visibly at the same time to see another set of horses and knights coming right at them.

"AH!" They took off, dodging the pair…then there was another set…and another (Max almost got speared in this one) until finally they found the end to the madness…a crowd.

Of course, by end to the madness one must mean the beginning. Immidiately, they were sucked into it, pushed through the stinking mass of pesant spectators of the tournament with no way to direct themselves…

Rei yelped as an area he wasn't used to was grabbed before he turned around sharply, slapping the person's face before being continually pushed along.

After a few bruise-gaining minutes (which also resulted in quite a few special words being used) the group tumbled out of the crowd and onto the dusty earth.

"Urg…everybody alright?" Tyson asked, pushing himself to a sitting position whilst rubbing his head. "Sound off!"

"One….my butt hurts!"

"Two. Quit complaining."

"Three…WHY DID I HAVE TO BE THE GIRL?"

Going rather frigid, Tyson, Max, and Kai looked over to Rei with fear…indeed, for the game, with everything included, Rei was the girl. (a very good looking one at that ) And what made things worse was that he…or she…was in a rather revealing cerulian blue archeress outfit. Why archeress? Well there was a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to her (or is it a his?) back.

After a few moments, Rei started to rant angrily about how he always got chosen for the worst parts, and that went on from there…basically he exploded about nothing. Like a real girl. On PMS.

A low chuckle caught Rei offguard and she snapped around to glare at the person who was laughing…it was Kai.

'Oh sure! Laugh at my pain!' "What are you laughing at? At least I won't be picking a wedgie out of my tights every five minutes.

Kai rolled his eyes and pointed up to the sky. "You're a girl because the computer's chose randomly who would be what, and associated each person with the character they best suit."

"Wow, when did you grow brain cells?"

"I took them from Tyson. He never uses them anyway."

"HEY! I resent that!" Tyson protested from beside Kai.

The silver haired boy merely smirked…and Rei wanted so badly to just smack that smirk right off of his face. 'Waitaminute…' she/he thought to his/herself. 'I'm a girl now…I can do whatever the hell I want and he can't beat me up! MUWAHAHAH! His life shall now be a living Hell…ooh. And I can blame it on PMS. Mariah, wherever you are, for the first time I am grateful for the many beatings you gave me whilst you were pmsing…'

"Anyways, Kon, if you must know Tala has made it so that he can communicate with me in my mind."

"Wow, that must be annoying." Max chirped, poking Kai's head.

"At least now he can blame his maniacle behaviour on the voices in his head. Heck, the voice is pretty insane too." Tyson commented offhandedly.

"Tyson.." Kai warned, his voice low and his eyes giving him the death glare.

Tyson and Max laughed sheepishly before the bluenette turned to Rei and muttered "In Kai language, that means shut up or I'll kill you…or it's his mating call. ACK! DON'T KILL ME!" Tyson screamed and ducked behind Max.

Rolling his eyes, Rei looked to Kai. "So…why is Tala in your head?"

"He's not in my head. Stop making it out like I'm insane!"

"Well you are quite unstable…I mean, what's with the triangles? And the two toned hair?"

"I'll have you know, cat-boy, that this is completely natural!"

"Is it really?"

"YES!"

"I don't believe you."

Kai smirked. "I could prove it to you…but then you'd probably have me arrested for indecent exposure."

Crickets chirped as Rei, Tyson, and Max tried to figure out what he was hinting (he used big words) at before…

"EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

"Kai's a pervert!"

"Only to you, Tyson."

"Ok, that's just disturbing."

Rei rolled his eyes and stepped forward, having had enough of the immature idiots on his team… "Kai, what has Tala told you about this game?"

Sending a glare Rei's way, Kai stared off into space as he said almost monotoniously "Basically we just need to go through the game, beating any challenges or challengers we come up against. The more we fight or do deeds, the higher our levels become. Once we hit level twenty-five, our bit beasts will be unlocked and we will be able to summon their forms to help us fight. At level forty, their powers will be given to us so we can use at our own free will. Meanwhile, we still have certain powers we can use…though the bastard won't tell me what the hell they are…"

Rei rolled his eyes. "Please keep the language under PG. This isn't an R-rated fanfiction, you know."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

(YES IT IS!)

The group looked around, wondering who the heck could have just said that… (Blue: Yes! Authoress intervention rules!) before Kai looked to Rei and smirked, causing Rei to growl, fold her arms and look away whilst refusing to speak to him. Yeah, he knew he was acting like a four year old who didn't get the toy he wanted, but he really didn't care. If it worked when he was four, it was good enough to work now!

Kai was about to retort when his face visibly paled and he put his hand to his forehead, his eyes darting back and fourth…but they weren't looking at anything.

Rei watched for a moment and was about to ask what was wrong (though, truth be told, he really didn't want to…Kai deserved whatever was going on in his head) when Kai shouted out of nowhere "TALA? Damnit, DON'T YOU LEAVE US!"

"Kai? What's going on?" Tyson asked the obvious question and walked over to the Captain, putting his hand gently on his shoulder only to have it smaked away roughly.

"Don't touch me…Tala just cut out. He's not responding to anything I say." Kai growled, his fists clenching as he looked up towards the sky.

"Gods…did he say anything to you at all before he cut out?" Max questioned hopefully…

"Yes. But before you start asking me what it is, it's not good…the last thing he said to me was the word Virus."

The group stood in silence for a few moments, each most likely wondering the same thoughts – if there was a virus in the program, what was going to happen next?

Tyson broke the silence first. "Well, whatever this virus is, we're gonna face it together, right?" he said cheerfully, putting his fist in the middle of the group. Max giggled before agreeing and placing his fist in as well.

Rei looked to Kai for a moment before chiding himself for doing so and placing his fist in the middle. He didn't care what Kai thought…at least he shouldn't. The bastard.

When Kai looked as if he was going to place his own fist in however…that's when things went bad. The ground beneath the group lurched and Rei was thrown to the ground, falling on his behind as the Earth shook and trembled beneath them.

Kai looked around and Rei could faintly hear his shout of 'Stay together!' before the sky seemed to explode in a wave upon wave of blues and purples, with hints of red that Rei had never seen before.

Scrabbling to get a hold of anything, Rei winced as her hand got caught on a sharp piece of rock and brought said hand to his face…he was bleeding. And it hurt.

The safeties were off.

Rei blanched visibly and shouted over the chaos to his friends to be careful, but to no avail. The sound of the ground breaking apart underneath them was too loud and…

"BREAKING APART?" Rei shouted, looking around him and in that instant, the ground gave way underneath him and the rest of the Bladebreakers, sending them all tumbling into darkness.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"It's your fault."

"You're worthless. You don't contribute to society in any way, do you?"

Rei winced as the all too familiar words were fired into his mind…

"You need to change."

"You suck as a friend."

Rei choked and whimpered "No I don't…"

"Self-centered…"

"Coward…"

"No, I…"

"It's all your fault."

"But, I was told…"

"Why didn't you stop it?"

"I…"

"Why?"

"Stop…"

"Why?"

"Please…"

"WHY?"

"I couldn't…"

"WHY, REI? YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED IT!"

"STOP IT!" Rei shouted, then waited…silence…

Sighing in relief, he allowed his eyes to open very slowly…he was so tired.

Those words…those cruel words…they'd haunted him for the past year or so. But now, a different sound was gently caressing it's way into Rei's mind. Melodious, calming, reassuring…Rei looked around and, to his surprise, found that he was actually floating instead of just laying somewhere.

Looking up, he nearly had a heart attack as he realized where he was – underwater. The moonlight was reflecting off of the surface above, allowing streams of light to dance their way into the murky depths around him.

There was the sound again…

Rei turned around and his jaw dropped. '…I've gotta be dead…' he told himself.

In front of him, a pod of orcas was swimming right on past, their large yet graceful bodies moving easily through the liquid surrounding them. But it wasn't just the sight that was helping Rei…it was their song. A beautiful melody of different calls, clicks, and moans that seemed to make the ocean itself sing with joy and hope.

A nudge on his arm made him look and he tensed…there was a baby orca nudging his forearm, it couldn't have been more than a few months old. Reaching out, Rei caressed the baby with as much gentleness as he could manage. She seemed to like it and gave a few clicks of approval before moving and nudging his forearm again…his bandaged forearm.

Looking from the baby to his forearm, Rei timidly reached out and slowly undid his bandages, allowing once again for the memories to come flooding back into his mind…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Rei whimpered as he heard his parents shouting at one other down the hall…he himself was huddled in his closet, quietly hugging one of his stuffed animals close to him, allowing the tears of fear and sorrow to fall from his eyes quite freely.

'They're fighting again.' He chocked and buried his face in his stuffed polar bear's fur, trembling from the sobs that racked his body. His parents had been really on each other's cases for a few months now…and they had fought almost every night.

Correction – they fought every night.

No, neither of them were stupid drunks, nor did they do drugs. His father was a very respectable man and made a lot of money in his job (which required him to basically wear a suit and tie each day to work. He hated it, but he did it to support his family.)

His mother on the other hand was a bar singer. She was struggling to make a carreer out of it and had already made two CD's, but it just wasn't working. Add to that that she'd been on the road almost non-stop since Rei was about ten…

Jumping a little at the sound of something hitting a wall, Rei pressed himself up against the wall behind him and tried to curl up as much as possible, clinging to his bear with all his might. Why was this happening? Why couldn't they just get along? They'd been happily married for ten years for god's sake!

"It's gonna be alright." He told himself, futily wiping away his tears, which were only replaced with more. "Damnit, no it's not…why is this happening to me?"

He couldn't figure it out…he was a good kid, wasn't he? Yeah, he was a normal teenager…made a big deal outta nothing, gushed over people he had a crush on, but what he didn't do that most teens did was angst about nothing. Lately he'd been finding his parents had been putting a lot of pressure on him to be perfect, but that was all he had to complain about. He didn't, usually, only when it got really bad…

But now…

Rei's ears perked to listen…

The fighting had stopped.

With a sigh of relief, he pushed himself up (wincing a bit because of how stiff his joints were from being in one place for so long) and quietly walked out of the closet. Setting his bear down on the bed, he wiped at his eyes before walking out of the door and down the hall…

And froze.

The hall passed by the front entrance to the house.

His dad was standing at the top of the stairs, glaring down at his mother, as she threw on her coat.

Looking from his mom to his dad, Rei's heart plummeted…he didn't understand…just earlier his mom had said she loved his dad and they were trying everything to stay together…

She didn't even look at him when she left.

His dad just glanced down at him and said "I had to" before he locked himself up in his room, leaving Rei alone to deal with what just happened…

She was gone. For good. His mother was gone…

Immediately, Rei darted to the bathroom…a shower was what he needed…yeah…that was it!

Fumbling with his clothes that he could hardly see from the blurriness, Rei bit his lip to keep from making any noises that would attract his father's attention. Turning on the shower he jumped in…

And let himself cry. The sounds were drowned out by the spray of the water and his tears were immediately washed away…but it wasn't enough. The pain was still there…it was fresh, new pain, and he had no idea how he was going to deal with it!

He'd tried to talk to someone that night…he really had…but nobody was home. His three closest friends Kai, Max, and Tyson either had a busy line or just weren't home…

'So this is life.' He thought to himself just as his eyes landed on something that, usually, he wouldn't have given a second thought…but now looked like heaven.

It was a razor…his mom's razor.

Now, Rei continued with his shower, washing his hair and his body, whilst trying to ignore the constant adding of pressure to his chest, the trembling of his body…the pain of his heart.

Finally he just couldn't stand it anymore…and he'd heard lots of girls in school talking about it and how much it helped for their insignificant little boyfriend and friend problems…maybe it would help him a little?

Without a second thought, Rei reached out and snatched the razor, tore it apart (it was amazingly difficult…and his fingers did get a few cuts on them. Especially his thumb) Looking at the blades with interest, he set one down on the edge of the tub before taking up his wrist and placing one of the blades to it…

Taking a deep breath, he pressed down and ran the sharp blade into his skin and across, making a rather pathetic little cut. He was surprised at how much it hurt…but as the water from the spray hit his wound and cleaned it while letting the blood run down his body and down the drain, he found the sensation he was looking for;

Relief.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rei jumped as he snapped out of his memory…it was so real…as if he had just relieved it…

And it scared him.

Shaking, he felt a nudge on his now bare arm…he'd removed the bandages so that the scars on his arms were now completely visible. The little orca was still there, as if reassuring him that everything would be alright. With a smile, Rei reached out and hugged the big baby, to thank him for just being there.

Rei heard a few clicks from behind him and turned…and nearly screamed. There was the baby's mother (he presumed) floating right behind him. She turned and swam off and Rei clutched at his chest.

'This world is gonna make me die of a heart attack!' he thought to himself as he watched the baby swim after it's mother. The Chinese boy allowed himself a small smile…he really did love whales. This would definitely be something he'd be telling Tyson and Max when he got home.

Looking back down to his arms, Rei glared at them…covered with scars and even some recent attacks…pitiful memories of times when he wished to escape his pain…

'I'm so pathetic.' He told himself as he rebandaged them almost robotically, as if he'd done it hundreds of times before.

As he wrapped the soft cloth around his skin, he wondered to himself what was going to happen next…after all, Tala and the others would have everything fixed soon, right? And where were the others? Were they in this virtual ocean somewhere else too?

He only had a few short minutes to wait for his answer.

A whooshing sound caused him to look up and Rei moved to get away…A blue and purple portal on the surface of the water was opening up.

Rei yelped and scrambled to get away as the water pushed him into the portal's direction. "DAMNIT, TALA, IF THIS IS YOUR DOING, YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

0o0o0o0o0o0

I'm so sorry for the wait for this one…but please don't rush me. ; I can't very well type when I'm rushed…sooo…t'would be a bad idea…

Anyways, if there are cutters in the crowd…this story is for you. And I suggest you scamper off to read the story Broken Mirror by RaeTB as well. It's very, very good.

IMPORTANT NOTICE NEXT CHAPTER

I love reviews thank you to everybody who had reviewed so far! You're all WONDERFUL! I LOVE YOU ALL! COOKIES ALL AROUND!

QUOTES FROM NEXT TIME:

"Ssh, I'm about to defy you…"

"Why did I have to be stuck with you? Of all the people on Earth, it just had to be YOU!"

RnR please!


	3. Something To Remember, Nothing To Forget

Blue: Yes, yes I know…last chapter SUCKED! But you all needed to know Rei's current family life, how he started, and what's happened to the game, etc…now it gets good!

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: (PLEASE READ B4 THE STORY! READ IT ALL!)** This story and events are all based on a person's real life dealings. Everything that happens to Rei in his flashbacks and what he does is based on this person and how they delt with life and where they are now…

Who is this person?

Me.

Yeah, that's right…so if I hear one more person say "You don't sound like you know what your doing" I'll just have to point and laugh…and now all of you will be able to laugh with me. Because guess what? I know exactly what Rei's going through…

I lived it.

Everything his parents will do to him in later chapters, my parents did to me.

**This story is for those of you who are going through rough family times and feel that you have nowhere to turn…that or you're a cutter. Because you're not alone and there are people out there who care for you…honestly…it'll just take some time. **

**This is to help me heal…I'm not the greatest writer in the world, so please bear with me throughout it…if you don't like my story, then don't read it. It's as simple as that. I LOVE critisism, but I don't like flames. **

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_How could this happen to me  
I made my mistakes  
I've got no where to run  
The night goes on  
As I'm fading away  
I'm sick of this life  
I just wanna scream  
How could this happen to me_

_Untitled, by Simple Plan_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Debris was everywhere…the last of the fires that had erupted when the virus had taken over was just being put out. Most of the mass chaos seemed to be over, but Tala knew it was only just beginning. The scientists were scattered, trying to either get away from their flaming computers or trying to get them to work again. Lights were flickering or just dead…maybe even sparking. The only lights were the red strips around the top of the ceiling to light the way out of the building.

Tala, wincing from a deep gash in his cheek from where a consol had exploded beside him, frantically made his was to the pods. Reaching them, he held back a sigh of relief as the cords connecting them to each other and the matrix of the game itself weren't damaged…otherwise…

He shuddered at the thought of the consequences. "Somebody get that damn view screen back up and online!" He shouted over the fire and Red Alert alarms.

"I'm on it already, yeesh. Hold your horses." Kenny appeared at his side almost immediately and he had to admit he was impressed…the kid looked like he had a few pretty bad gashed himself, and quite a few bumps and bruises, but he was still pushing on. "I'm going to need a few minutes to analyze what has happened. Go do whatever it is you do…"

Tala twitched. He grew a backbone AND cheek. Turning, he hurried into the dwindling chaos again, this time for his own selfish needs…

Bryan.

Gods, where the hell was he?

Hastily, he broke out into a run as he weaved in and out of the charred consoles of the room, searching for…

"Down here you idiot." A voice called to Tala's right and he tried to stop…but only succeeded in skidding and running into a rather large mainframe. Shaking his head as a dog would after he'd just been bathed, Tala immidately got down on his knees beside Bryan who was on the ground looking up at him with a very unimpressed look on his face.

Worried, Tala checked him over. "Are you ok? Can you move? Can you feel your toes? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Bryan chuckled "Spasstic as ever…my arm is pinned. Don't think I'll be blading for a bit."

Tala's face blanched and he crawled over to Bryan's arm…indeed there was a rather heavy looking piece of machinery laying atop of his arm. And at the angle it was laying…

It was all the redhead could do not to throw up.

He looked away, ashamed of himself… "I'm sorry…I should have gotten you out of the way when I saw that consol explode…" No, he wasn't about to cry. He couldn't. What with the Abbey's teachings and all…but he could get mad at himself and feel guilty.

Bryan sighed and reached up with his good arm, offering his hand which Tala took immediately and nuzzled it tenderly. "You really are an idiot…it wasn't your fault. And anyways, I've been through worse. You know that."

"Yeah but…"

"No buts. I'm gonna be fine. Now that cut on your cheek…that'll turn into a nice scar, I think."

"Oh, I'd forgotten about that…."

"I thought you might've." Bryan replied rather coolly, but that was his nature. Tala knew this…and how they had gotten together he still didn't know.

Glaring at the hunk of metal on Bryan's arm, Tala's mouth set to a thin, straight line as he crawled over and behind it. Spitting on his hands, he reached under it and before Bryan could say or do anything, he grunted and practically threw it off of the boy. Sighing in relief, the grey haired Russian closed his eyes for a moment, relishing in the momentary relief of not having a heavy object crushing his arm.

When he opened his eyes, he had to jump a bit…icy blue eyes were staring down at him with concern and Bryan frowned, but not for long. After all, the way the red light of the room hit Tala's face just now…how it only lit up parts of it…it was far too breathtaking for him to make a sarcastic comment for.

In fact, it was too perfect of a moment for him to ruin either, so he did not object to Tala leaning down and lovingly kissed him. Whenever they were together, he seemed to forget everything…the entire world, both image and sound, seemed to fade out and the only two people on Earth were him and Tala. It was bliss…perfect.

When they broke apart, however…

"So do we know how our little hero's are?" Bryan asked Tala quietly and Tala winced.

"Damnit…I knew I forgot something. Why do you always have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Remind me that I have to actually do something other than sit here and snog the hell out of you."

"Because I'm afraid my arm is kinda beginning to sting."

"Hmm, you have a point."

"I knew you'd see it my way. Now go and make sure they aren't dead yet."

As if on cue, the room lit up with a cerulean light, casting shadows and light throughout the large room. Tala grinned and bent over, pecking Bryan on the lips once more before pushing himself to his feet…and picking the boy up with him. "If I go you go."

Bryan growled as protest, but that was all he did…no matter how much he hated to admit it (it was more pride than anything) he actually liked it when Tala held him. It was definitely one of the few things in life he could be certain were true.

When they got to the main area, Kenny had indeed gotten the viewscreen to work, but all they were able to see was the blue and purple portal. Leaving Bryan with the paramedics that had come up to help, Tala hurried over to the genius with no eyes.

"Well?"

Kenny nibbled his lower lip and thought about his answer carefully before replying "We have a big problem…and it's not just the virus."

It took Tala a moment to snap out of his disbelief about the 'Not just the virus' thing. What could be worse than the virus? "What the hell are you talking about? The virus just destroyed this lab and put G-Revolutions lives in danger!"

"Only Kai and Rei's…Tyson and Max are perfectly ok in the game."

"Explain. Now."

Kenny looked up at him solomly and turned his computer screen to face Tala…then pointed to a reading next to Rei's name.

Tala choked. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Immediately, he spun about and began shouting orders, trying his best to stay calm. "Get that damn microphone back online so I can contact them! DO IT NOW! That or get Rei outta there!"

A bad feeling pitted in Kenny's stomach as he watched Tala march off, knowing full well how worried he was…Heck, Kenny was probably more worried than he was. 'Why didn't he say anything?' he thought to himself as he looked up to the view screen that was just beginning to come online. "Keep strong, Rei…"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Rei moaned in irritation as the heat of the day seemed to burn his eyelids, causing him much discomfort in the middle of his beauty sleep…so far he'd lost count of how many times he'd been forced to wake up after being knocked out because of this stupid game. And once again, he'd had nightmares.

"I hate this game. Beyblading really is the only way to go." He muttered to himself.

A feint 'Hmph' made Rei open his eyes immediately. "Oh no…I know that cruel, unfeeling tone of voice…is that you Kai?"

Rei looked up and grinned cheekily at the familiar face of his much hated team captain who was currently glaring down at him.

"Get up…honestly, I can't believe I expected you to wake up any sooner or easier than Tyson. You're both the same." Kai growled before he walked away abruptly and dumped a pile of wood beside a quaint little fire.

Yawning, Rei pushed himself into an upright sitting position…in a sleeping bag. He blinked in surprise but decided not to dwell on that as he would most likely begin to make a big deal out of nothing and Kai would call him a ditz…

Well, he would be right. But that's not the point.

Looking up to Kai, the golden eyed boy watched him intently as he moved with ease around what looked to be a campsite in the middle of the forest somewhere in the game. He was still in his knight costume, except it was a very Aragorn from Lord of the Rings style type of knight. Personally, Rei thought this look suited him better.

Rei then remembered his unfortunate luck in the choosing of his own character and looked down. 'Still a girl.' He cursed the universe for making him wear this…outfit…

Now, Rei would have been perfectly happy with not talking to Kai at all that morning, but his curiosity as to the events of the past few hours was getting to him. So finally, after about ten minutes of just lying in his sleeping bag, he asked "So where're the others?"

"Not here." Was the curt reply from somewhere around the campsite. It seemed that Kai was fiddling around with numerous different tasks, which was strange since camping really didn't require so much maintenance, and they didn't even have a tent!

Rei snorted indignantly. "I can see that. Will they be back soon."

"Nope."

"No? Ok, I'm confused…"

Kai rolled his eyes and tossed Rei a large piece of folded fabric. "We're stuck together. Tala contacted me this morning…Tyson and Max are on the opposite end of this world. We're going to meet them at the final level."

"…You?"

"I said the very same thing about you."

"…Why you?"

"I seem to be experiencing déjà vu."

"Why did I have to be stuck with you? Of all the people on Earth, it just had to be YOU!"

Rei was now on his feet, his face red, and he was panting and staring at Kai with an unreadable, yet (in Kai's opinion) rather humorous expression.

Rolling his eyes, Kai glared. "Are you quite finished?"

"No. I happen to like spazzing. If it was a job, I think I could be a professional spazzer."

"You are finished now. Don't make me pull rank on you."

"You're so dull."

"So I've been told." Kai waved off Rei's remarks and Rei had to sneak a bit of a smile as he toyed with the cloak in his hands, the one he'd accidentally unfolded it during his spazz attack.

And by now, somehow, his eyes snuck over into Kai's direction and wouldn't leave.

Kai sighed and kicked dirt on his already pitiful fire and picked up his sword, tying it around his waist expertly…and this was when Rei stopped staring and inwardly kicked himself. 'Bad Rei! You gotta stop doing that…he's a jerk.'

Rei busied himself with putting on a rather beautiful dark blue cloak that seemed to float around him, but ended a little short…just below his butt. He groaned. There would be no way to hide his girlish figure now…especially now that it came with the added bonus of breasts!

(Blue: muwahahah…authoress intervention! I know some of you want Rei to go back to a guy…and I swear he will! But this is major for the plot. I swear he will eventually change back! I PROMISE! And it will be Yaoi! Ok! Now back to the story, I thank you for your time.)

To Rei's surprise, it was Kai who broke the silence after it seemed he'd finished taking down the campsite. "I talked to Tala this morning before you woke up, and there are a few things you need to know." When Rei didn't say anything, Kai assumed he was listening and began to walk away as he talked. "There is a virus in the game, as you know. The original plot of the game is changed completely so there is no Ursula or Notmerlin this time. Just us. But Kenny has figured out that even though those characters aren't here anymore, there are still a few obstacles that will be standing in our way, though Tyson and Max have been given most of the physical obstacles. There is still a final level and a final battle we have to face.

As for our powers, they've been boosted to twenty-five already so that we can summon Driger or Dranzer if we need them."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"Do you want to die in this game?" Kai snapped and Rei hid a wince, deciding against replying as he followed Kai through the forest. "I thought so. There's a village we need to get to just down the main road. We'll restock and get some supplies there before continuing on. Any questions?"

The black haired boy didn't reply, but merely continued to stare at the ground as they walked.

Kai took this as he had none and turned to watch the world in front of him, his concentration set on finding the main road through the forest.

They walked for a long while in silence, and though both preferred it that way they still had to admit they missed the other two boys on their team. The ones who always broke the tension in the group. The ones who were always able to keep their minds off of other matters.

Rei's golden eyes darted up to catch sight of a hawk as it soared through the canopy, letting out a mournful screech. It was now that his breath hitched as he noticed the beauty of the forest. Though the canopy was thick with strong, thick tree branches that intertwined every which way, there were still breaks in it that allowed a few streams of sunlight to pour through. The morning mist of the forest was still heavy in the air, and as it mixed with the light cascaded into the beautiful colors of the rainbow. It also succeeded in making the forest look all the more mysterious as when there were no rainbows, there was merely an eerie blanket of mist hanging in the air.

And when Kai passed through one such spot, Rei couldn't help but stare in awe…he really was quite handsome, but with the sunlight hitting his face at just the perfect angle, and the mist floating about him to distort his image ever so slightly, the Chinese blader had to remember his feelings from a few years ago, because this was only one of the few reasons he had fallen for the stoic, cold, and sometimes cruel captain.

He stopped just before a patch of light…the image of Kai walking through it had been heavenly. But then there was him. He was anything but worthy of setting a foot in such a beautiful place. There was no way he, a boy who had been broken time and again by life itself, was worthy of anything that involved beauty.

Noticing the lack of footsteps crunching the underbrush of the forest behind him, Kai stopped and turned. "Rei?"

Rei didn't any anything at first, but he didn't move either. Just stared at the patch of sunlight inches in front of him. Kai raised an eyebrow in slight confusion and called Rei's name again, as if trying to snap him out of a trance.

"Hey Kai…do you remember why we started fighting?"

This was definitely not the response Kai was expecting. Taken aback, he narrowed his eyes at Rei, as if trying to read him, to figure out why he would ask such a taboo question around him. "Yes…"

Golden eyes looked up at him, the pain in them hidden by the shadowy mist hanging in the air. "I'm sorry."

Kai was, to say the least, shocked by the boy's actions. He'd been waiting for Rei to say those words for the last year or so, and he'd been waiting to throw them right back into his face, but he couldn't this time. Though he couldn't see Rei's eyes fully, the boy's body language was enough to gauge how he was feeling.

"We were both in the wrong, Rei." He replied, slowly, and was greeted with Rei looking away from him in shame. "We both said things I'm sure we didn't mean. I…" he trailed off and looked away from the boy.

"I know."

Silence settled itself in the forest again before Rei continued "I'm sorry if I make you regret ever meeting me, but…"

Kai cut him off immediately. "It's better to have something to remember, than have nothing to forget." Rei blinked in surprise, and Kai smirked. But it wasn't his usual cold smirk, it was definitely much softer than the ones he usually sent Rei's way. "An old friend told me that, once."

It took Rei a moment to remember that it was indeed him to had said that to Kai at one time. Just after he'd come back from the Abbey the first time with the Demo boys. Rei smiled and said quietly "We were good friends at one time, weren't we?"

"We were."

Rei nibbled his lower lip as he continued to stare at the light with hesitation. "I know I've been selfish, we both have been," he continued quickly, stumbling over his words slightly as he did so, afraid that Kai would be mad at him again "but that doesn't mean we can't start over, can we? I mean, we're obviously going to be stuck together for a while, so why not make the best out of it, right?"

Kai chuckled and looked up to the nearest rainbow. Even he appreciated beauty when he saw it. "Very true."

He then noticed Rei staring at him, his mouth agape. "What?"

"The Kai I knew from before never would have agreed to that! Who are you and what have you done with my captain?"

Kai rolled his eyes. This always happened. When Rei was nervous and a subject became too much for him, he'd joke about, trying to lighten the mood. "People change, Rei. We both have changed. And you can thank Tyson for putting me in anger management class, otherwise I would probably have to pummel you right about now."

"You wouldn't hit a girl would you? Waitaminute…does anger management really help?"

"No, it only made me more angry. So angry, in fact, that I taught myself how to control said anger before I had to be sent back there."

Rei laughed and side-stepped around the light in front of him. A rainbow had just formed and, though he'd just fixed something he'd thought was impossible to do so, even with duct tape, he still didn't feel worthy enough to step through said beauty.

Though he had to grin as a little bit of his foot stepped in it as he ran around it, running to catch up with Kai who had turned and was beginning to walk away again.

They'd both hated the fighting. They didn't want to fight, but they did it anyway because one had hurt the other. It was a strange cycle that friendships seemed to go through, to Rei, but he supposed that as the old saying goes – once friends, always friends. And heck, even in friendships do end…

'It's better to have something to remember, than have nothing to forget.' He glanced down to his arms covered by the long, blue fabric… 'I'll have to remember that one.'

And so, Kai's and Rei's adventures in the Cyber world were about to begin…and if Tyson and Max are going to get the physical challenges, what do you suppose Kai and Rei are going to get?

Will Rei be able to handle it?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Blue: Aha! Two chapters in a week…I suppose this could be because I have so much spare time on my hands and absolutely LOVE you reviewers! As well I kinda owed you guys…last update sucked. I cry…

This chapter goes out to all of you who are reading. If any of you are going through tough family times, just know that your never alone and that it's best to talk about it, kk? There will ALWAYS be somebody who will just sit and listen…even if it's your stuffed animals, your cat, or your dog.

"It's better to have something to remember, than have nothing to forget."

**RnR**…I thrive on your awesome reviews and critiques! You guys are amazing!

**P.S I will be answering reviews next chapter…so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask away. I'm sorry for being unable to do so before…I suppose I'm really just quite lazy. But I'll do it next time! **


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